Pain and Suffering

When a person receives Jesus Christ, does that put an end to suffering in this life?

If a believer experiences grief, does that mean they lack faith?

Unfortunately, some, within the church, would say yes.

Let’s look at what the Bible has to say.

 

“The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear it if the spirit is crushed?” - Prov. 18:14 (NLT)

 

“Laughter can conceal a heavy heart; when the laughter ends, the grief remains.” - Prov. 14:13 (NLT)

 

“Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.” - Prov. 25:20 (NKJV)

 

“Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. My sight is blurred because of my tears. My body and soul are withering away. I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Misery has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within. I am scorned by all my enemies and despised by my neighbors – even my friends are afraid to come near me. When they see me on the street, they turn the other way. I have been ignored as if I were dead, as if I were a broken pot.” - Ps. 31:9-12 (NLT)

 

“O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I will cry to You for help. My heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for You are my refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me. Let me live forever in Your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of Your wings! Interlude~ - Ps. 61:1-4 (NLT)

 

“Jesus wept.” - John 11:35 (NKJV)

 

“And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”  (Jesus in the garden before His crucifixion) - Luke 22:44 (NKJV)

 

“Yea, and all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” - 2 Tim. 3:12 (NKJV)

 

Pain and suffering are a part of our fallen state in this world. The question one should ask, rather than do Christians suffer, is, what should Christians (or anyone) do when pain and suffering come?

 

“Whom have I in heaven but You? I desire You more than anything on earth. My heart may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.” - Ps. 73:25-26 (NLT)

 

“But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things You do.” - Ps. 73:28 (NLT)

 

There are so many passages that deal with pain and comfort, I could go on and on, but that would be a very long post. Suffice it to say, there is much to say about suffering but also the hope that comes through Christ Jesus. Emotions are not always good but we must remember that God gave us emotions, good and bad, and there are reasons. How we choose to deal with them is what we need to master.

Do we let grief wear us down? Do we seek to be on an emotional high at all times? Neither are good for us. We need to allow grief to have its place and move on. Likewise, joy and happiness have their place, but we will not always be in a state of bliss.

Wherever we are, we can look to God and trust Him. Even in the darkest grief, God is still good, and we can find His peace and even joy.    

 

“Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts, I Am the First and I Am the Last; and beside Me there is no God.” - Isa. 44:6 (NKJV)

.

WISDOM: A Commentary on a Commentary Part II

 

Today I will pick up with the first chapter of Dennis Prager’s commentary, The Rational Bible: Genesis- God, Creation, and Destruction.

In Chapter 1, he begins with the beginning, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).

He states that to some extent, this is the most important verse in Scripture. I find his narrative to be dead-on. He writes, “First, the verse posits a Creator of the universe. That means, among other things, there is meaning to existence. If there is no Creator, there is no ultimate purpose to existence, including of course, human existence. We humans can make up a meaning because we are the one species that cannot live without meaning. But the fact remains that we made it up.”

When the Bible was taught in schools and the majority of people in America went to church, we did not see the violence and chaos that we see, or live with, today. Why? I would argue that when we removed God out of the picture, we lost our sense of purpose and identity (I would also add accountability). When we have no solid foundation on which to base our meaning, purpose, or accountability, we become a people devoid of conscience and each seeks to make his own purpose, generally with selfish intent, and impose his/her will on others. The perfect recipe for disaster.

Prager continues:

 

Of course, atheists argue that believers in God made up God; therefore, God does not really exist. But they don’t always apply this rule to the existence of what they acknowledge they made up: meaning. If what we make up (God) doesn’t exist, what atheists make up (meaning) doesn’t exist. If there is no God, we know there is no ultimate meaning or purpose to life: that all existence – including, of course, our own – is the result of random chance. But we do not know there is no Creator. So, unlike those who know they make up meaning, neither we who believe in God nor atheists know we made up God. On the contrary, there are very strong arguments for a designer of the world, but there are no arguments for an ultimate purpose to life if there is no God.  

 

Man has always sought the meaning and purpose to life. With the hopelessness that comes with not knowing God, meaning, and purpose, one can only try to create for themselves some sense of being. For some, it is to take what others have. For others, it is charity, but as good as this is, it is for selfish reasons. Most of us gain a great satisfaction out of helping others. At its heart, the motivation is to make us feel better. I’m not saying this is necessarily a bad thing, but when we condemn those who take the former approach, on what moral code do we make such condemnation? After all, we are merely products of random chance and this life is all there is, why not live it up and do what pleases us?

If we look at the world, we see chaos when man does what he wills. Within nature, we see order and beauty. Of all I have read and studied, I have never seen any belief system that demonstrates why this is, other than the God of the Bible.  

.

WISDOM: A Commentary on a Commentary

 

What is wisdom? As a simple man, a scholar by no means, I have been intrigued with wisdom since my early teen years. It was at that time, my family was attending a church and I remember this verse in huge letters on the wall,

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10).

This was penned by King Solomon and most of us know he has been considered the wisest man that ever lived. How did Solomon gain his wisdom? I’m glad you asked!

When Solomon assumed his role as king, in place of his father David, the LORD appeared to him and asked him what he wanted. Solomon humbled himself and asked for wisdom to rule Israel. He did not ask for wealth, long life, or anything for his own profit. For this, God said, “behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you” (1 Kings 3:12, NKJV). Because he had not asked for anything for himself, God also gave him great wealth, long life, and more.

Recently, I have wanted to gain an understanding of the Jewish mindset regarding the Old Testament, or Torah (first five books of the O.T.). I purchased a book written by Dennis Prager, a man I respect very much, and a teacher of the Torah. In his commentary, Genesis, God, Creation, and Destruction, from his, The Rational Bible series, he writes:

 

Here, too, because it has so much wisdom, the Torah – and the rest of the Bible – is indispensable. However, we live in an age that not only has little wisdom, it doesn’t even have many people who value it. People greatly value knowledge and intelligence, but not wisdom. And the lack of wisdom – certainly in America and the rest of the West – is directly related to the decline in biblical literacy. In the American past, virtually every home, no matter how poor, owned a Bible. It was the primary vehicle by which parents passed wisdom on to their children. In the modern period, however, people have increasingly replaced Bible-based homes and Bible-based schools with godless homes and with schools in which no reference to the Bible is ever made. (p. xix).

 

So what is the outcome? He continues, “As a result, we are less wise and more morally confused. As I showed in Exodus, in my discussion of secular education as a potential ‘false god,’ the best educated people in the West have often both lacked wisdom and been among the greatest supporters of evil ideologies and regimes” (p. xix).  

I think he hit the nail on the head. Today, we see people who have no clue what truth is, or even sex. It’s funny how those who tout, “follow the science” are ignorant too or reject the truth of science regarding biological sex. The confusion over truth, “your truth and my truth may be different,” is astounding to me. Truth, by definition, is true in all times, for all people, in all places. What these people replace with truth is opinion or feelings. Wisdom is knowing the difference.

In his argument that the Torah was not created by men, Prager presents some examples of what the Torah introduced to the world:

 

·          A moral God: All gods prior to Torah’s God were capricious, not moral. A just and moral God meant, among other things, ultimately justice will prevail (if not in this life, in the next). It also meant human beings, imbued with a sense of justice, can argue with, and question, this just God (the name “Israel” means “wrestle – or struggle – with God.”)

·         A God beyond nature: God made nature, and is therefore not natural. This led to the end of the universal human belief in nature-gods (such as rain-gods). And sure enough, as belief in the Torah’s God declines, nature-worship seems to be returning.

·         A God who loves and who wants to be loved: This was another world-changing concept introduced by the Torah to the world.

·         Universal human worth: Every human being is “created in God’s image.” Nothing like this had ever been posited prior to the Torah.

·         Universal human rights: Another world-altering consequence of universal human worth (p. xxiii).    

 

He makes a profound statement when he writes, “The Torah is so utterly different – morally, theologically, and in terms of wisdom – from anything else preceding it and, for that matter, from anything written since – that a reasonable person would have to conclude either moral supermen or God was responsible for it” (p. xxii).     

I have concluded the same. It is irrational to think anything else since the Bible has been the most scrutinized book of all time and has held up to every challenge. While some might argue that it (the Bible) is absurd, given that it goes beyond the norm into the supernatural, there have been many beliefs that seemed just as questionable. At one time, people thought the earth was flat (the Bible got this right, Isaiah 40:22). If you went back in time and told people one day man would walk on the moon or you would be able to talk to another person, while seeing them from across the globe, in real time, from an untethered device, they would have considered this impossible.

While we can’t introduce unbelievers to God in physical form, we can show undeniable evidence that proves God’s existence. Even when God came in physical form, in the person of Jesus, people rejected Him. It’s not a head problem, it’s a heart problem. So how much more-so will people reject the Bible?

Prager makes an excellent argument for the moral teachings of Scripture; the data bears witness to this. The further we distance ourselves from wisdom and the moral teachings of Scripture, the more we regress back to a chaotic world that worships the creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25).  

Prager is not a Christian and I do disagree with some of his views of Scripture, I will right more on this later, but he is a man of great knowledge and one can certainly learn a great deal from him. His wisdom and insights are brilliant.      

“Judge Not…”: A Look at the Book of Jude

 

“Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1, KJV)

I have written about this on other occasions but feel the need to keep pressing the issue and what this actually means, within the context. To flippantly quote Scripture out of context is dangerous, not only for the one doing so, but also for the audience who might be led astray.

If we read further, verse 5 instructs, “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Mat. 7:5, NKJV).

This clearly teaches that to “judge not,” means that we are not to condemn another when we ourselves are guilty of bigger, more heinous sins. Further, we are not to judge in the sense that another is going to hell. Only God has the authority to judge in this manner. No, we are to live holy, or set apart, lives and only then can we instruct our brothers and sisters to turn from their sins.

In the New Testament, we read over and over, warnings about false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, or some other variation of this idea. I hear so many today quoting “Judge not,” when an issue is raised about a person who is teaching false doctrine. Many well-known pastors and Christian musicians are propagating false doctrine and we need to be aware lest we, or our children, be led astray.

I am not saying that we must agree on everything or one of us is lost. There are many points we might disagree on but if anyone teaches anything that stands in contrast to the Bible, they are wrong. That said, we do not condemn them to hell. No, we can try to lead them to a clear understanding of God’s truth, but I only recommend this if you are already well grounded in the Bible, lest they confuse you and lead you astray. This is why studying the Bible is so important. I cannot stress this enough. You don’t have to be a biblical scholar, just a faithful disciple. The Psalmist wrote, “Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11, KJV).   

The book of Jude is a short book, it amounts to about one chapter; only twenty-five verses. As to Jude’s identity, this is not completely clear. It may be that he is the half-brother of Jesus. It is debatable, but he does refer to himself as the brother of James (v.1), which very well may be, and is most likely, the half-brother of Jesus, making Jude Jesus’ half-brother as well.

Picking up in Jude, verse 3 and following:

 

Dearly loved friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the truth of the Good News. God gave this unchanging truth once and for all time to His holy people. I say this because some godless people have wormed their way in among you, saying that God’s forgiveness allows us to live immoral lives. The fate of such people was determined long ago, for they have turned against our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ (vs. 3-4, NLT).

 

What if we applied “Judge not” here?

 

Apparently, Jude had planned to write something else but heard that false teachers had infiltrated the church, so he abandoned his initial thoughts to address the more important need: avoiding false teachings.

What follows is a stern warning as he reminds his readers of others who went against God’s truth and suffered greatly. Among them are the Israelites whom God delivered out of Egypt, the fallen angels from Genesis (chapter 6), and those who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah. While Jude does not judge these, he clearly reminds his readers of God’s judgement on them. Likewise, we do well to remember also.

As Jude prepares to close his letter, he writes,

 

But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ told you, that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to enjoy themselves in every evil way imaginable. Now they are here, and they are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They live by natural instinct because they do not have God’s Spirit living in them. But you, dear friends, must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith. And continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit. Live in such a way that God’s love can bless you as you wait for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in His mercy is going to give you. Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. There are still others to whom you need to show mercy, but be careful that you aren’t contaminated by their sins.  

 

What if we applied “Judge not” here?

We can look around and see that this is true still today; perhaps, even more so than in Jude’s day. If someone preaches a gospel devoid of accountability, seriously question their words. If they make excuses for a lifestyle that conflicts with Scripture, brace yourself. If they believe truth is relative (your truth and my truth may not be the same), do not fall for their lies. Truth is truth, opinions and feelings can differ but not truth. By its very definition, truth is truth for all people, for all time.

Lastly, it is good to study under those God has called to minister and teach, but equally important is the need to study for yourself. Spend time in God’s Word and ask Him to show you the truth. A day is coming, and is already here, when those who speak truth will be silenced and any day could see our Bibles disappear. When that happens, it will be even harder to know the truth. But take heart, God will always make a way for those who seek Him. At least on this side of the grave.

 

 

Jude Outline:

Vs. 1-2 Greeting

Vs. 3-4 Purpose of writing 

Vs. 5-7 Punishment of the wicked in the past

Vs. 8-16 Warning about false teachers

Vs. 17-23 Resist false teachings and remain faithful to the Truth

Vs. 24-25 Closing

.

A Promise and a Warning

 

¹³ “I don’t need the bulls you sacrifice; I don’t need the blood of goats.

¹⁴ What I want instead is your true thanks to God; I want you to fulfill your vows to the Most High.

¹⁵ Trust me in your times of trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”

¹⁶ But God says to the wicked: “Recite my laws no longer, and don’t pretend that you obey me.

¹⁷ For you refuse my discipline and treat my laws like trash.

¹⁸ When you see a thief, you help him, and you spend your time with adulterers.

¹⁹ Your mouths are filled with wickedness, and your tongues are full of lies.

²⁰ You sit around and slander a brother – your own mother’s son.

²¹ While you did all of this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn’t care. But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you.

²² Repent, all of you who ignore me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you.

²³ But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”

-Psalm 50:13-23 (NLT)

 

Over and over, throughout the Old Testament, God calls rebellious Israel to repent and return to Him. In the book of Hosea, we find a wife and mother that abandons her husband and children to prostitute herself in the most degrading way. After all the wickedness she has done, God commands Hosea, her husband, to buy her back. This is a picture of God’s great love for us. As Paul wrote, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, NIV).

But we must remember, while God is love, He is also a just and righteous God. He must deal with sin and rebellion. Over and over, He warns us; there will be no one who will have an excuse.

In the passage above, taken from Psalm 50, God is talking to His chosen people, Israel; they were to be priests to the nations. We now live in the church age, and I believe this applies to us today, as it did to them then. I especially believe it pertains to the leaders in the church. So many preach feel good sermons while life outside the church walls is in chaos. Too many of us want our “ears tickled,” rather than hear the truth. We seem to believe if we can cherry pick certain passages out of Scripture that make us feel good, it justifies our behavior.

This simply is not true. God requires us to give Him all or give Him none. We either worship Him wholly, or we are doing nothing more than going through meaningless motions.

How many preachers/evangelists are warning of what is to come?

Are they addressing current events in the light of God’s Word?

Do you seek truth, no matter how uncomfortable, rather than feeling good?

Pastors, deacons, bench warmers, we all need to repent and surrender our hearts, wholly to God.

Friend, if you know your heart is not right with God today, don’t wait another minute. Cry out to God now and He will save you.

“If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

But, this is not simply a “Get Out of Jail Free” card, it requires total commitment on your part. It means that you accept God’s will for you, even if it means giving up your earthly possessions.

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36, NKJV)    

I believe we are living in the last days. What we see daily aligns with what was written in Scripture thousands of years ago. If you don’t believe me, search the Scriptures for yourself. Please don’t wait until it’s too late.

 

.

A Prayer For Today

¹ O God, we have heard it with our own ears - our ancestors have told us of all you did in other days, in days long ago:                                                                                                                          

² You drove out the pagan nations and gave all the land to our ancestors; you crushed their enemies, setting our ancestors free.                                                                                 

³ They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strength that gave them victory. It was by your mighty power that they succeeded; it was because you favored them and smiled on them.                        

⁴ You are my King and my God. You command victories for your people.                                                                         

⁵ Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes.                                                                         

⁶ I do not trust my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me.                                     

⁷ It is you who gives us victory over our enemies; it is you who humbles those who hate us.    

⁸ O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name.                                                                                                                                     

                                                                             Interlude              

⁹ But now you have tossed us aside in dishonor. You no longer lead our armies to battle.                   

¹⁰ You make us retreat from our enemies and allow them to plunder our land.      

¹¹ You have treated us like sheep waiting to be slaughtered; you have scattered us among the nations.                                                

¹² You sold us – your precious people- for a pittance. You valued us at nothing at all.                          

¹³ You have caused all our neighbors to mock us. We are an object of scorn and derision to the nations around us.            

¹⁴ You have made us the butt of their jokes; we are scorned by the whole world.                           

¹⁵ We can’t escape the the constant humiliation; shame is written across our faces.                                       

¹⁶ All we hear are the taunts of our mockers. All we see are our vengeful enemies.         

¹⁷ All this has happened despite our loyalty to you. We have not violated your covenant.              

¹⁸ Our hearts have not deserted you. We have not strayed from your path.                             

¹⁹ Yet you have crushed us in the desert, You have covered us with darkness and death.                                                                      

²⁰ If we had turned away from worshipping our God or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods,       

²¹ God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart.                                                     

²² For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.                                                                     

²³ Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever.                                      

²⁴ Why do you look the other way? Why do ignore our suffering and oppression?                                                 

 ²⁵ We collapse in the dust lying face down in the dirt.             

 ²⁶ Rise up! Come and help us! Save us because of your unfailing love.        

Psalm 44 (NLT)        

 

As I read this, I can’t help but see how perfectly this fits America. Like the Psalmist, we should likewise cry out to God before it’s too late. We are watching our nation crumble before us and many of us live in constant fear, but how many are truly crying out to God?

My prayer is that God would use these current events to lead many to Himself. Do I wish to see America healed, yes! But what is of most value? What is temporal and what is eternal?